New CEO and CFO for Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo

Following a successful management transition, the company has appointed Matt Simister as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) “as part of the company’s strategic growth agenda”. The experienced executive, who joins Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo from Tesco, will take up his new role in September. Simister has been with Tesco since 1996, most recently as CEO Central Europe.

He succeeds Peter Pritchard, who has been acting as interim CEO, and will play a key role as Deputy Chairman of the Board alongside Chairman Torsten Toeller.

There will also be a change in the finance department: Florian Wieser (42) joins from the real estate company Engel & Völkers. The experienced top retail manager, who will take over at Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo in January 2026, has held senior management positions within the MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group, including CFO of Ceconomy AG, in addition to his most recent position as CFO at Engel & Völkers.

CFO Christian Kümmel left the company at the end of April “by mutual agreement” to pursue new professional challenges, according to the statement. To ensure continuity, Sebastian van Stiphout, currently SVP Finance & Strategy, will assume the role of CFO (interim) until Wieser takes up his position. At the same time, Lucio Paolo Torroni, currently member of the Executive Board and SVP People, will temporarily assume the role of managing director of Fressnapf Holding SE and other group companies.

As part of the further development of the company’s management, Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo is also introducing a revised C-level structure, which specifically responds to the changed market conditions. The strategic realignment includes key management roles in the areas of People Operations, IT and Digital Transformation, Supply Chain & Logistics, Customer Experience and Product Strategy - all of which are closely aligned with the company’s long-term vision for sustainable growth and market leadership.